PUEL Jean-Luc

Scientific prizes - 2016

The 2016 Fondation Pour l’Audition Grand Scientific Prize has been awarded to Prof. Jean-Luc Puel in recognition of his 35 years of service to hearing health, bringing together different professionals and accelerating hearing research.

Project status: closed

Prof. Jean-Luc Puel has been researching hearing health since he began his career in 1983. He has actively contributed to the development of hearing science, especially through his research work on the cochlea. He also played a key role in the creation of the Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier (INM) [M1] and became its director in 2003. He is also the director of Ecole d’Audioprothèse de Montpellier (a school for hearing care professionals), director of the University of Montpellier’s master’s course in sensory/motor neuroprosthetics, and chair of France’s national hearing day, confirming his commitment to training and his influence in hearing research and the voluntary sector.

Over the course of his career, Prof. Puel has published more than 100 articles in international peer-reviewed journals, 41 chapters of books, and more than 200 communications or posters. He serves on the editorial board of several international scientific journals, as well as on the committee of various scientific societies.

“In the 1980s, one of the questions people were asking was: can babies hear their mother’s voice in the womb? I was fascinated by this question that no one knew how to answer, so I joined this laboratory, which was working on the development of the inner ear,” explained Prof. Puel.

INM occupies a special place in the field of hearing science. Currently, its research teams are aiming to understand tinnitus and why the ear sometimes sends a signal to the brain when it should not. Secondly, they are exploring why and how auditory cells die, with the aim of preventing this from happening, especially in the aging process. Finally, INM scientists are interested in regenerating these cells.

“Everything we discover in the laboratory, we try to bring to patients. This prize will help us fund research that we cannot promote through the classic channels. It will enable us to launch ambitious projects, especially in translational research, which is what now interests me the most. This could lead to innovative new therapies for people with hearing loss, based on pharmacology and genetics,” stated Prof. Puel.

“It’s always a great pleasure to be recognized by one’s peers,” he added. “Obviously, there are lots of researchers behind me – senior, confirmed researchers and especially a lot of young, creative researchers with a great future ahead of them. I’m very proud of this fine team.”

Professor Jean-Luc Puel
Team leader and Professor
Director of Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier, France

Related scientific publication(s):

 [M1]Lien : http://www.inmfrance.com/inm/audition